What are some fun facts about Hawaii?

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Hawaii, the 50th state admitted into the United States, is composed of eight different islands. These islands include Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai and the "Big Island" of Hawaii. The islands formed from underwater volcanic eruptions. Hawaii became a state on Aug. 20, 1959.

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Hawaii exports one-third of the world's supply of pineapples and also has a thriving sugar industry. The state is also the only one in the country that grows coffee, due to its soil and farming conditions.

Hawaii is home to the tallest mountain in the world, the volcano Mauna Kea. The mountain stretches 33,476 feet from the sea floor. Due to its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii's nearest neighbors with high population are the continental United States, over 2,300 miles away, and Japan, 3,850 miles away.

The Hawaiian native language consists of only 12 letters, which include five vowels and seven consonants. After becoming a U.S. Territory in 1898, the Hawaiians found their language banned by the United States. Eighty years later, the United States removed the ban.

Although composed of small islands, Hawaii is considered the widest state in the union. The state is one of the wettest states and places on Earth as Mount Waialeale on Kauai receives 450 inches of rainfall a year, on average.